


It Clicks (and Warms)

by ExtraPenguin



Category: The Outside - Ada Hoffmann
Genre: F/F, Femslash February, Femslash February 2020, Huddling For Warmth, Unresolved Sexual Tension
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-27
Updated: 2020-02-27
Packaged: 2021-02-28 04:20:53
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 788
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22927855
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ExtraPenguin/pseuds/ExtraPenguin
Summary: A portal doesn't quite work as it should, stranding Yasira and Enga on an ice-cold planet hours away from rescue.
Relationships: Enga Afonbataw Konum/Yasira Shien
Comments: 2
Kudos: 2





	It Clicks (and Warms)

Yasira walked through the portal and was greeted by a bipedal thing whose head came up to hers and whose mouth was full of sharp, sharp teeth. She screamed and jumped backwards, but there was no portal there anymore, only Enga, who shot the thing with – something. Yasira didn't want to know.

With the thing dead, her heart gradually started calming down from its rabbiting state. She stepped away from Enga and looked around.

The planet was human-like, green fernlike things and dark trees that'd shed their leaves for winter, covered in a light dusting of snow. The sky was a crisp blue where it wasn't golden-orange around the setting sun. Yasira shivered in the breeze.

Enga had looked around as well, and was now silently staring into the distance. Maybe she was communicating with the other angels. Hopefully they would come soon.

Yasira curled in on herself and stuffed her hands in her armpits. After a long time living on the _Pride of Jai_ , planetary weather conditions were alien to her. She didn't even have gloves. What if she got frostbite and her fingers fell off? Would the gods' medicine be able to fix that?

The sun dipped to the horizon, and suddenly the sky was a navy blue. It hadn't even been purple first, just transformed from pale yellow to blue.

Something howled. Yasira jumped.

"Let's go on the lake," a mechanically synthesized voice said.

Yasira jolted. Enga? It must be; Enga had a voice synthesizer around her neck and no-one else was around.

Enga was also striding off. Yasira scampered after her.

The lake was just past a final row of trees; Enga must've seen it easily. They made their way around the shore until they found a reedless patch. Enga stepped onto the ice.

Yasira gulped. "Will it hold?"

Enga raised a sardonic eyebrow and strode further. After a few paces, she stopped and turned to stare at Yasira.

Of course. Enga with her arm ... things ... must weigh more than mousy Yasira.

Very hesitantly, Yasira stepped onto the ice. It didn't so much as squeak. Reassured, she followed Enga further away from the shore.

The dying wind bit her skin and her ears tingled. Her fingers were comfortable enough in her armpits, unlike her ears and nose. Perhaps she should worry about those instead. Or her watering eyes. She had trouble seeing in front of her in the dark.

They stopped in the middle of the lake. Yasira felt exposed out in the open, but she supposed that they'd be easy to spot for any retrieval team.

And Enga had a clear shot in all directions, Yasira added. She was terrible at this secret mission thing. The way this was going, she wouldn't have to worry about Nemesis not letting her return – Nemesis would be glad to be rid of her. She just had to find Dr Talirr first and then Nemesis could give her the boot.

"How long until we're picked up?" Yasira asked.

"Wait," Enga said. She was staring at the sky.

Above them, the stars had blinked on. Did she have to look at the position of the Milky Way to locate them? No, surely not. Maybe one of those stars was actually a starship. Yasira distracted herself by trying to figure out if any of them was moving.

"Two hours," the synthesizer around Enga's neck barked out, jolting Yasira out of her reverie.

"Okay," she tried to reply, but her teeth chattered too much. She realized she'd lost sensation in her ears. That was bad, wasn't it?

Enga's face was invisible in the darkness. Abruptly, she strode over to Yasira and pulled Yasira to her chest. The stars were blocked and after a moment of cold, her body heat started to seep to Yasira. Or perhaps it was merely an absence of cold. Less coldness, in any case.

"Thank you," Yasira said between her chattering teeth.

Enga folded her arms – lethal and terrifying – around Yasira. Yasira stiffened, but then the warmth started pushing into her from the arms as well.

At a much greater rate than the body, too. Enga must have heaters there. It made sense – she had so many things, why not add a heater for low temperature operations? Or maybe this was waste heat only.

"Two hours," the synthesizer crackled.

Two hours. Yasira relaxed into Enga's grasp and inhaled her scent, still human despite everything else Enga was. Two hours and she'd get back to tracking down Dr Talirr and back to her life.

Perhaps she should ask for Enga's backup. After all, she was actually nice under the stone face and silence. Who said angels couldn't come from more than one neurotype? Yasira should be understanding.


End file.
